The airspace over Ukraine “remains contested,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday.
“We still maintain the airspace is contested, that the Russians have not achieved air superiority over all of Ukraine,” the official said.
Because the airspace is “dynamic” there are “times and places” where Russia or Ukraine “has more dominance,” the official added.
“The Russians certainly have, although they have not achieved air superiority, they certainly have more assets available to them and they are flying many more times per day than the Ukrainians are,” the official added.
The Ukrainian air plan changes every day, the official said.
“I can’t speak to the Ukrainians air plan, it changes every day, they’re being, we think appropriately careful with their air assets and how they’re using them and what they’re using them for,” the official said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “100% of his assembled forces inside Ukraine,” the official said.
“He’s moved everything in,” the official added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as Russia continues strikes across the country. The US and NATO have opposed creating a no-fly zone in Ukraine, warning that such a move could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe.”
CNN
